As the lines between work and personal life seem to become more and more blurry every day, time management has become a crucial skill for professionals in all industries. With technology playing such a huge role in all aspects of our life, it’s easy to lose track of time while you’re focused on creating a website or learning how to become an entrepreneur.
Read Also: How to start a business
And so, of course, it only makes sense for us to turn to technology as we struggle to get a hold of our schedules. Surely there’s a way for some of your day-to-day tasks to be delegated, accelerated, automated, or possibly avoided. That’s why we’ve curated a list of the best time management apps to boost your productivity.
Best time management apps:
Work management
01. Evernote
Keep your ideas, research, projects, and lists together under one organized umbrella. Every piece of your content can be gathered on this app, from words to pictures to voice notes. And because we spend most of our time on our phones or computers, it’s simple to bookmark or screenshot website information directly to your Evernote account while browsing the Internet.
The best part? It can be synced to all of your devices, allowing you to stay on top of things everywhere on your desktop and on-the-go.
Price: Free version available. Premium and business plans starting as low as $4.99/month. Compare the plans here.
Available on: Android app, iOS app, and desktop version.
02. 1Password
Surely you have so many passwords to keep track of that it’s impossible to remember them all, especially if you’re creating unique, strong passwords for each platform you use. If you plan on writing them down, you’ll need to be extra careful to make sure that no one is able to get access to them. Then, finding your passwords efficiently when you need them will be another hassle of its own.
This is where technology like 1Password comes in: A super secure app which holds all of your passwords, plus other private information (bank account numbers, credit cards, passports and more). It then auto fills your user information into the websites and apps you use, so that you can log in with just one click. And with 1Password, you’ll only need to remember one master password - something a human brain can certainly handle.
Price: Starts at $2.99/month with a 30-day free trial.
Available on: Desktop version, plus syncable to Mac, iOS, Windows, Android, Linux, and Chrome OS.
03. SaneBox
As the name suggests, SaneBox’s mission is to bring sanity back to the email messaging process. On average, we spend 28% of our work days checking our inboxes, which certainly hinders our overall productivity. SaneBox’s smart filtering system can help you stop wasting time by automatically categorizing your emails for you into different inboxes based on your needs. For example, ‘regular projects,’ ‘newsletter subscriptions,’ ‘weekly stats reports,’ and even ‘out of office messages.’ This way, you can focus on what’s most important at a specific point in time.
Some of the other features included are automated unsubscribing, a digest of newsletters sent to you once per day, and rescuing emails that were mistaken as spam. All of this enables you to feel clarity and manage your time smarter at work.
Price: Plans start at $59/year with a 14-day free trial.
Available on: The SaneBox platform can be integrated with your inbox on Google, Office365, iCloud, Yahoo, or any another provider - on any device.
Productivity
04. Siri Shortcuts
One magnificent way to save yourself time from doing the same repetitive tasks again and again is to automate them. For iOS users, Siri Shortcuts will help you tackle your most frequent to-dos as swiftly as just one tap on your phone or a simple request from Siri.
Some examples of tasks are getting directions home, dialing into a meeting virtually, creating automatic PDFs from websites or apps, and setting reminders to appear when you arrive to work. The opportunities are plentiful. Try it out and see for yourself - it won’t cost you a dime.
Price: Free
Available on: iOS app.
05. Kiwake App
Are you one of those people that can’t stop pressing ‘snooze’ in the morning? Are ten successive alarms simply not enough anymore? Even if you do manage to get out of bed, you feel groggy and half-awake for the majority of the morning. Kiwake is a smart alarm meant to help you overcome these morning struggles, through a brief but complete wakeup process.
It does so through several methods: Making you get out of bed by having you take a photo of a chosen far away object, playing a mini brain game, or reading up on your main goals to motivate yourself from the moment you wake up. Oh, and don’t even think of hitting the snooze button - there isn’t one. So, choose your method and watch yourself become an early bird in no time.
Price: $7.99
Available on: iOS app.
06. RescueTime
The first step to being more productive, especially when working from home, is figuring out where you actually spend your time. RescueTime logs this information for you by automatically tracking each minute you’ve spent on applications and websites. It then provides you with a full detailed report.
Whether it’s for just you or for your team, it will give everyone an overall picture of their day to help all of you make more strategic decisions going forward. Not only does it record your hours, but other available options include alerts to limit your time in specific places and the ability to block websites and apps.
Price: The most basic plan is free, while premium plans start at $9/month.
Available on: Desktop.
07. Pocket
While surfing the Web for work or pleasure, you’re bound to come across other things that interest you. That’s a digital marketer’s prerogative after all: To distract you and make you click from one link to the next. Yet, managing your schedule means rising above this and focusing on one task at a time.
To make sure you don’t get distracted - even when you really want to - you can use Pocket to save those other articles, website ideas, and videos for a later view - when you’re less busy. It’s as simple as downloading the app, then pressing the Pocket button to instantly bookmark a website to your ‘I'll come back to you later’ feed.
Price: Free.
Available on: iOS app, Android app, Mac App Store, and Amazon.
Team collaboration
08. Slack
Slack helps people collaborate smarter at work. It’s a productivity application for messaging individually and via group chats, whether that’s surrounding a specific project, topic or team. Unless made private, all conversations are open to anyone at the company too, allowing information to be easily accessible by all parties at any time. In the era of remote employees, this type of app allows businesses to keep all communications under the same (virtual) roof.
Beyond just messaging, Slack can be integrated with a number of work-based applications, such as Google Drive, Asana, Outlook, and Trello, enabling your business tasks to flow together cohesively. And don’t worry, the platform is completely secure through technologies like two factor authentication and single sign-on.
Price: Free plans are available for small teams, while standard and advanced plans start at $6.67/user/month.
Available on: Desktop version (also downloadable as an application for your smartphone).
09. Dropbox
Dropbox is a cloud-based document and image hosting site for your storing and collaboration needs. Essentially, you’re able to save, edit, and browse files from anywhere, on any smart device.
You can do this for your personal needs, or collaborate and leave comments among team members and clients for work - saving you time corresponding across multiple platforms. Through the cloud, you can save any files, from documents to videos, images, and more.
Price: Free for basic plans with limited storage, while business and increased storage plans start at $12.50/user/month.
Available on: Desktop version, iOS app, and Android app.
10. Toggl
Toggl is the ultimate app to increase productivity by helping you and your teammates figure out where you’re spending your time, and teaching you how to better optimize it. The solution is so simple, it’s quite similar to RescueTime, with a large focus on teams. All you need to do is push a button to start your timer for each task.
Then, Toggl will break down your data into a report where you can track more than just minutes, but also understand how much your time is worth as well as make smarter choices in the future. It’s available on any of your devices, including a Chrome extension, and - for iPhone users - the ability to request time tracking from Siri, so that you won’t have to lift a finger.
Price: Plans start at $9/user/month, with a free trial option available.
Available on: Desktop, iOS app, Android app, Mac App Store, and Chrome extension.
Schedule optimization
11. Asana
Asana is the ultimate solution for taking control over your schedule through its organization, tracking, and managing features. To ensure you meet your deadlines and don’t miss a beat, Asana is programmed with all the necessities you need. This includes everything from listing the steps of your projects and their priorities, to showing an overall timeline, calendar, progression report and more.
It’s also meant for conversing with other teammates and uploading files. And the easy drag-and-drop capabilities will enable you to maneuver and adjust constant changes along the way for your projects from start to finish.
Price: Basic plans are free, while advanced plans start at $9.99/user/month.
Available on: Desktop, iOS app, and Android app.
Forming strong, productive habits is a process that takes time and dedication. Loop is here to help you strive towards your needs and goals, from waking up early to meditating to exercising to a number of other things. In order to form one of these habits with Loop, you will create them, update your progress, and check back often to see a full report of how close you are to reaching your goal.
And the reason they, and you, should care about this: Daily habits are tasks that get easier with time and minimize the decision-making process by already integrating a mandatory responsibility into your day - both of which will assist you in managing your schedule better, and potentially also improving your work-life balance.
Price: Free.
Available on: Android app.
Focus
14. Focus Booster
According to this time management app, “for every interruption it is proven to take up to 25 minutes to get back on course.” That is, unless you learn how to manage your focus better with a helping hand.
Focus Booster provides that by using a time management method called the Pomodoro Technique, which breaks down your work into intervals of concentration and break time. You can customize the length of your session, set your activity, and track your progress to know how you’re spending every minute of your day.
Price: Starter plans are free, while more advanced options start at $2.99/month.
Available on: Desktop, iOS app, and Android app.
14. Noisli
Calming melodies and sounds is another proven way to boost your concentration. Noisli allows you to be your own musical curator by mixing different natural beats and creating your own combination of focus medicine. The delicious sound library includes wind, rain, storms, crackling fire, coffee shops, white noise and plenty more productivity music for working.
Price: Free on desktop, $1.99 on both iTunes and Google Play.
Available on: Desktop, iOS app, and Android app.
15. Freedom
There are several different methods used to focus, as you’ve seen in the previous two examples. This one is about forcefully tuning out all distractions and blocking applications of your choice for allotted periods of time.
Without the distractions of online shopping, checking your Instagram feed, or receiving news updates while trying to concentrate on your work, you’ll have the ‘freedom’ to accomplish more throughout your day.
Price: Free.
Available on: Desktop, iOS app, Android app, and Browse Extensions.
16. Forest App
For the environmentalists out there, concentrating on your work for periods of time could actually help you save the planet! While leaving the app open and forcing yourself to concentrate, you will virtually (and the company will literally) plant a seed in a forest and slowly begin to grow a tree.
If you leave the app and break your focus, your tree will stop growing. The Forest team actually partners with an organization, Trees for the Future, to plant real, live trees in nature.
Price: $1.99.
Available on: iOS app, Android app, and Chrome Extension.
17. Headspace
Meditation is an effective technique for success, as it helps train our minds to function better without blockages. Different methods can help you clear your unproductive thoughts, reduce your stress and anxiety, and learn how to concentrate faster and for longer periods. Headspace is one of the top meditation apps on the market for this, with hundreds of research-backed, guided meditations in many different categories.
It begins with the most basic exercises which teach you how to meditate. Then, it breaks off into free courses, paid courses, and single sessions covering topics ranging from letting go of stress and anxiety to finding balance to falling asleep. Some guided meditations are even as specific as working on your relationship to technology or mentally preparing for a presentation at work.
Price: Free with limited meditations, while more options are available starting at $7.99/month.
Available on: Desktop, iOS app, and Android app.
Priorities (To-do lists)
18. 1-3-5 Method
Learn how to prioritize your day by breaking it up into realistic, attainable goals. The 1-3-5 method forces you to choose one main task, three medium-sized tasks, and five small tasks you plan to accomplish in a given day.
You can split up personal, work, and other content into different categories to prioritize your day according to your roles in life. This app is syncable to any smart device, so that you can access it no matter where you are.
Price: Free for basic accounts, while premiums start at $2.50/month.
Available on: Desktop or from the browser of any smart device.
Do you constantly go over your to-do list in your head? Even writing it down doesn’t stop many of us from the compulsive thoughts related to our daily tasks. Remember the Milk is the smart to-do list that reminds you of your tasks, so that you spend less time thinking about them and more time living your life.
It’s simple to add tasks and then categorize them into their level of priority, number of occurrences, tags, related sub tasks, and even files from Dropbox or your Google Drive. You can also share your lists with others you want to collaborate with. Then, choose the way you want to be reminded: Email, text, IM, Twitter, or via mobile app. That’s it, and you’ll never forget a task again.
Price: Free for basic or upgrade your account for $39.99/year.
Available on: Desktop, iOS app, and Android app.
